KJ Apa Workout Routine and Diet Plan: How he got ripped to play Archie in Riverdale

BONUS: Download the FREE KJ Apa Workout Routine PDF

So, have you guys watched Riverdale yet?

I can only hope the answer is yes…

I recently wrote the Grant Gustin and Katrina Law workout routines and in the Gustin article I wrote just how many CW studs and stunners we have researched here thus far.

**Hint: it was a lot!**

Well, we can add KJ Apa to the list, and I’m not mad about it at all!

Riverdale was amazing, and I’m so stoked that the CW decided to go this route with a show. As you all know I’m pretty obsessed with more than a handful of their shows, so this just adds another to the list in that regard as well.

Now, I’m not saying his workout routine and training is going to be one hundred percent on point with my example, but I will say that his physique is a good example of what I want to portray.

The point is: KJ is 5’11 and roughly 160 lbs. His body type is one that is attainable on a minimal workout routine. [Think Nightwing Path aka Minimalist Path in The Academy] For example, I weigh 180-185 lbs at 5’6 range, and it took me a pretty decent amount of time to gain the muscle. BUT, we already know that we need to cut body-fat in order to show the six pack abs that we already have (and leanness).

KJ Apa Diet and Nutrition

Also, did you manage to catch the main picture I used for this article?

It’s Apa chugging down some Froot Loops cereal – which I felt was fitting and fun.

Maybe I’ll find a spot for it again here.

I normally don’t write that many nutritional guidelines based around Froot Loops, but being that we’re already talking about them – I figure we can sweeten things up a bit.

I mentioned the Minimalist Bonus Path (aka Nightwing) within The Academy, and that also has its own nutritional guidelines attached to it as well. Those utilize calorie counting (and macro counting) which we’ve also covered on the site and can find in our Nutritional Pillars.

Unlike our other Nutritional Classes in The Academy (Viking, Samurai, Monk, Hunter Gatherer), the minimalist style revolves around counting your calories to allow different types of “cheat meals” more frequently (as long as you’re able to fit them into your diet). I prefer using the 80/20 Method, and cyclical ketosis, which we use in the other classes – but it’s all about preference and sustainability.

KJ Apa Workout Routine Research

KJ Apa is pretty awesome and was nice enough to share a glimpse of his training session right on Instagram for us. So, being that this is based around workout routine research for him – I think it only makes sense to start there:

I’m including the caption because it gives us insight to exactly what Apa is doing.

This one is something he tells us could be as quick as 10-15 minutes (which is similar to our 10 Minutes or Less section in The Workout Database).

The workout is as follows:

Dumb bell swing / burpees
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps

Eg. 1 DB swing 1 burpee, 2 DB swing 2 burpees and so on and so on to 10 then back down again.

We’ll take this one right from Mr. Apa and utilize it as an add-on for our workout routine later on.

Thank you, again, KJ Apa!

Looking to step it up a notch? Check out The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.

KJ Apa Workout Routine

Last Chance: Download the FREE KJ Apa Workout Routine PDF

Training Volume:

3-6 Days Per Week

Explanation:

As we discussed in our recent article: training volume revolves around your goal and how fast you want to accomplish it. I’ll program 3 days that you have to include (Days 1, 3, and 5), but you can also utilize 10 Minute or Less workouts from the database, and also the one that Apa shared with us himself!

Weight Increase Explanation:

When I give a rep count of “10,8,5,3,3” for example, you should be going up in weight each time.

You should also increase weight each time on rep counts of 3×10 or 12, for example, but that can be a much more insignificant increase than the above example.

Day One: Chest and Triceps

Warm Up:

Stretch

800m jog

Cardio for increased fat/weight loss:

20 Minutes HIIT Cardio on treadmill – see next day for further HIIT instruction (if your goal is cutting)

Workout:

Bench Press

5×10,8,5,3,1

Tricep Cable Pushdowns

3×10

Dips

3xFailure

Incline Dumbbell Bench

3×12

Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks

3×10

Incline Cable Flys

3×12

Chest Front Raises (similar to decline cable flys but with dumbbells)

3×10

Day Two: Cardio and/or Quickie

Cardio Options:

20 minutes of HIIT on Treadmill or Bike

Treadmill:

1 min on: sprint 6-9mph

1 min off: walk 2.5-3.3 mph

Bike:

1 min on: keep rpms above 100 with level 7-10

1 min off: keep rpms steady 50+ with level 3-5

Workout Quickie:

Choose a workout from the 10 Minute or Less section in The Workout Database

OR

Utilize KJ Apa’s quick routine which we saw earlier in the article:

Dumbbell swing / burpees
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps

Ex. 1 DB swing 1 burpee, 2 DB swing 2 burpees and so on and so on to 10 then back down again.

Day Three: Back and Biceps

Warm Up:

Stretch

800m jog

Cardio for increased fat/weight loss:

20 Minutes HIIT Cardio on treadmill – see next day for further HIIT instruction (if your goal is cutting)

Workout:

Deadlifts

3×10,8,5,3,3

Dumbbell Bicep Curls

3×12

Cable Rows

3×15

Preacher Curls

3×12

Wide Grip Pull Ups

3xFailure

Lateral Cable Pulldowns

3×12

Hammer Curls

3×10

Day Four: Cardio and/or Quickie

Cardio Options:

20 minutes of HIIT on Treadmill or Bike

Treadmill:

1 min on: sprint 6-9mph

1 min off: walk 2.5-3.3 mph

Bike:

1 min on: keep rpms above 100 with level 7-10

1 min off: keep rpms steady 50+ with level 3-5

Workout Quickie:

Choose a workout from the 10 Minute or Less section in The Workout Database

OR

Utilize KJ Apa’s quick routine which we saw earlier in the article:

Dumbbell swing / burpees
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps

Ex. 1 DB swing 1 burpee, 2 DB swing 2 burpees and so on and so on to 10 then back down again.

Day Five: Shoulders and Legs

Warm Up:

Stretch

800m jog

Cardio for increased fat/weight loss:

20 Minutes HIIT Cardio on treadmill – see next day for further HIIT instruction (if your goal is cutting)

Workout:

Back Squats

5×10,8,5,3,3

Arnold Presses

3×10

Leg Press

3×12

Military Press (standing)

5×10,8,5,3,3

Hamstring Curls

3×10

Shrugs (dumbbells or barbell)

3×20

Calf Raises

3×15

Day Six: Cardio and/or Quickie

Cardio Options:

20 minutes of HIIT on Treadmill or Bike

Treadmill:

1 min on: sprint 6-9mph

1 min off: walk 2.5-3.3 mph

Bike:

1 min on: keep rpms above 100 with level 7-10

1 min off: keep rpms steady 50+ with level 3-5

Workout Quickie:

Choose a workout from the 10 Minute or Less section in The Workout Database

OR

Utilize KJ Apa’s quick routine which we saw earlier in the article:

Dumbbell swing / burpees
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps

Ex. 1 DB swing 1 burpee, 2 DB swing 2 burpees and so on and so on to 10 then back down again.